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Turner entered the makeshift war room, aka Kian and Syssi's cabin, with his laptop tucked under his arm and a cup of coffee in his other hand. "The transport is arranged. Armored vehicles will be waiting at the designated location." He put his coffee cup on the dining table.
"Good work." Kian eyed the cup as if he was contemplating the merits of caffeine versus the whiskey he'd been drinking since Kalugal's phone call withBud.
"What's the plan?"
As Turner flipped his laptop open to look at his notes, Anandur wondered what had happened to his yellow pad. Usually, the guy wrote his action plan the old-fashioned way and only used the laptop for information gathering.
When Turner turned the laptop screen toward Kian, Anandur realized that he hadn't been looking at his notes but had pulled up a map of the coast of Mexico.
"We stop here, which is about two hundred nautical miles north of Acapulco. We lower a lifeboat and use it to get our forceto shore. There is a road nearby, and that's where the vehicles will be waiting for us. I assumed forty passengers. Thirty-six Guardians, Kalugal, Dalhu, and the two gods. The transport is a mix of vans and SUVs that look like regular civilian vehicles but are bulletproof. We don't want to be detected too soon." He took a sip from his coffee. "They don't really expect us to return the women. They expect us to do precisely what we are planning, which is to take them out and release Luis. Nevertheless, we will play along and pretend that the vans and SUVs are for transporting the women."
"Obviously, they are setting up a trap for us," Onegus said. "Losing the cargo looks bad for them. They probably don't want to report it to their commanders in the Brotherhood because failure will get them in trouble. But if they can show that they killed a bunch of clan members, losing the women will be forgiven. We are much bigger fish."
Kian nodded. "And if they hope to capture some of us alive, they might not booby-trap the area to blow us up, but we still have to assume that they would plan for a massive firepower advantage."
"I'm taking this into consideration," Turner said. "That's why I ordered bulletproof vehicles, but they may still have access to heavier caliber projectiles that would render the armor useless, or worse, RPGs. But keep in mind, they don't know about the assets we have, meaning a powerful compeller and an equally powerful shrouder, and they have no reason to assume that we would be well-armed because we did not use any weapons to take down the cartel thugs. In other words, chances are they underestimate us; they think that together with their cartel friends, they can overpower our inferior force."
"I agree." Kian took a sip from his whiskey. "Doomers prefer engaging face to face because they usually have an advantage in numbers. All they know is what Luis could have told them, which is the number of tourists he took to the ruins. A small group that included several females. They will assume that several immortals on vacation stumbled upon their goons, killed them, and rescued the women. They might even think that they are dealing with civilians. But in case their tactics involve heavier weaponry or explosives after all, what's the plan?"
Turner waved a hand at Onegus. "That's your part, chief."
Onegus nodded. "In addition to the vehicles, we are getting four surveillance drones. Before we enter the area, we scan it with the drones. If there is no one there, we will know that the place is booby-trapped, and we don't go in. When our force gets in front of the Doomers, Kalugal uses a powerful megaphone to freeze everyone, and the fun begins."
"We should first find and neutralize their scouts." All eyes turned to Dalhu, who rarely spoke up. "The standard operating procedure would have the commander send scout teams to observe and report on the approaching opposing force. We need to get to the scouts and eliminate them first."
"Actually, that may present an advantage for us." Kalugal's thoughtful tone indicated that he was thinking out loud. "We should capture and interrogate the scouts for intel. They would let us know what weapons and traps we would be facing. I can then compel them to report back whatever we want them to. This will amplify our element of surprise and help us navigate whatever the Doomers have prepared for us."
Kian and Turner nodded as one, and it was obvious both liked the info Dalhu shared and Kalugal's idea to capitalize on it.
Anandur sighed. "I wish I could join you. It has been a long time since I've kicked some Doomer butt." He glanced at Kian. "Is there any way you can assign bodyguard duty to someone else?"
Kian shook his head. "I could, but I won't. Your job is to keep your bride happy the day after your wedding, and she won't be if you run off to kill Doomers and cartel scum."
That was true. Wonder could take on any immortal in hand-to-hand combat and win, but she wasn't a fighter by nature. She was a gentle soul like Syssi and Alena. He still couldn't understand why the Fates had gifted her with superior strength when she clearly detested using it.
"Yeah, you are right." Anandur sighed. "I need to stay with my beautiful mate and guard my illustrious leader." He put the back of his hand on his forehead. "Oh, the hardship."
Onegus snorted.
"On a positive note," Kian lifted his nearly empty whiskey glass, "pushing the operation to tomorrow means that you get to have your bachelor party after all, and your wedding won't have to be delayed or postponed."
Anandur grinned. "That's the best news I've heard today. I'm looking forward to celebrating my last night of bachelorhood and then marrying the love of my life without worrying whether my groomsmen are going to make it in one piece and on time. But Brundar's wedding tomorrow might be affected." He turned to his brother. "I don't mind switching nights with you. Wonder might grumble a little, but she will come around."
"No," was Brundar's response. "I don't want a bachelor party, and I don't care about delaying my wedding. Killing the vermin comes first, and Callie agrees."
Knowing his brother, there was no point trying to argue with him.
"Well, I offered."
As the group continued discussing the finer details of the plan, Anandur glanced at Dalhu, who was sipping on a large glass of whiskey with a murderous expression on his face.
The guy needed to loosen up, and the bachelor party Anandur planned for himself was just what Dalhu needed.
Whiskey and cigars were great, but it wouldn't be his party if he didn't include something hilarious that everyone would be talking about for years to come. The thought of entertaining his friends, especially at times like this when everyone was gloomy and bemoaning the state of the world, brought a smile to his face.
Dressing up as a stripper for Kian's bachelor party had been a big hit, and people still talked about it years later. The Scottish sword dance at Bhathian's had left everyone in stitches. Those were tough acts to follow, and he wondered what he could do that would top those performances.
Perhaps he could challenge the guys to a dance-off? He could bring Bob to the party and have him dance for them. Or he could stick to his original plan, wear his Superman costume, and do his best Superman impression. Wonder had incorporated elements of Wonder Woman's costume in her wedding gown, but she claimed that they were just hints and made him swear that he wouldn't come dressed as Superman to their wedding. But since he'd already gotten the costume custom-made, and it was awesome, it would be a shame to let it go to waste.
